Thermal management devices, such as heat sinks, have been used on circuit boards to absorb or dissipate unwanted heat generated by heat generating components, such as processors and chipsets. Developments in computer hardware have resulted in higher processing speeds and increased power requirements for circuit boards and electronic components. As power requirements for circuit board components increase, larger heat sinks have been used to cool the heat generating components. To increase heat dissipation further, fans may be used to provide forced convection within a computer or electronic system or to provide impinging cooling directly on a heat sink.
Developments in computer hardware have also resulted in space constraints, particularly in small form factors and modular computer platforms, such as Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA), Advanced Mezzanine Card (AdvancedMC) and Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect (CompactPCI). Thus, the available volume for components on printed circuit boards in such environments is limited. The space constraints may include, for example, height restrictions on the sides of the printed circuit boards as well as limited real estate on and within the circuit boards.
Conventional heat sinks may include a top-mounted axial fan or blower to provide impinging cooling on the heat sink. Such fans may be mounted entirely external to the volume defined or outlined by the heat sink. In such systems, additional form factor volume may be required for the fan assembly. Also, the air flow generated by an externally mounted axial fan may be dispersed and dampened by the time the air reaches the target surface on the heat sink, limiting the cooling effectiveness as a turbulent flow. In a conventional top-mounted-fan heat sink, the effective air-flow coverage area may be confined to the circular shape and dimensions of the fan.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly.